Israeli Murder Victim in Bulgaria Identified as Professor Andrei Atanasov

A month after a murder in Sofia, Bulgaria, the identity of the Israeli victim has been released as 82-year-old Professor Andrei Atanasov. Atanasov, a professor of biology and a long-time lecturer at Sofia University, was brutally attacked in an elevator at the Juliy Kuri metro station on October 14, 2026. He sustained critical injuries, was taken to a local hospital, and later died. Investigators suspect that Shmil Loiv, who knew Atanasov and lived near him in Bat Yam, Israel, is involved in the murder. The investigation is focusing on the possibility that Loiv sought to obtain documents related to Atanasov's assets, and that a dispute between them escalated into the fatal attack. Security camera footage from the station is being reviewed to reconstruct the events. Central to the investigation is a suspected theft of documents from the professor detailing assets worth millions of shekels, with investigators exploring whether this theft was part of an attempt to seize Atanasov's property and if it is connected to the murder. Loiv was arrested in Israel by the Ayalon Unit for Combating Crime based on a request from Bulgarian authorities, as part of an extradition process. Loiv denies the accusations, admitting only to a dispute with the professor over an inheritance. He claims he cared for Atanasov's sister, who allegedly wanted to bequeath him property in return, but the professor opposed this. Loiv maintains he was not involved in the murder despite the financial disagreement. The prosecution is advancing Loiv's extradition to Bulgaria, where the murder investigation is ongoing, and expects to seek his continued detention to facilitate the process. The investigation continues to examine the nature of the relationship between the suspect and the victim, their financial dispute, and the suspicion that the murder was motivated by an attempt to take control of the professor's wealth.